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nChapter 32

nJi Chen gazed at the native human lying on the ground with curiosity. Like the Kobolds, his was clothed in animal skins and fiber. his skin was wheat-colored and his body and face were covered in a layer of green liquid.

nHis weapons consisted of a sharpened bone dagger at the waist and a simple wooden bow on the back.

nHe appeared to be a native.

nJi Chen had a notion that these natives lived on islands surrounded by the sea, traveled in canoes, believed in peculiar beliefs, and some even practiced cannibalism.

nHowever, he was not too surprised. To be able to fight evenly with the group of Kobolds and look like noobs fighting each other, their level of civilization was naturally not that high.

nWith a wave of his hand, he instructed a Naga warrior to carry the native on his shoulder and bring him back to the territory.

nHe placed the native on the empty ground.

nThe residents were surprised to see Ji Chen bring back a man dressed in simple animal skin.

nWhen they heard that he was a native of the island, they started discussing in surprise.

nThey had been here for more than a month, but they had not found any natives at all. They thought that there were only wild beasts and monsters on this island.

nPerhaps it was because of the chaotic discussion of the people, the native lying on the ground slowly woke up.

nUpon opening his eyes, he found himself surrounded by a large group of strangers, causing him to immediately feel frightened and crawl back on his hands and feet.

nAfter a few steps, he bumped into a hard object and looked up to see a snake-bodied monster staring down at him with a cold, predatory gaze.

n“Aaaah-!”

nThe native subconsciously cried out in fear.

nHer voice was almost louder and sharper than Alice’s singing.

nAfter a while, the young native finally calmed down and stood in front of Ji Chen timidly.

nPerhaps it was the game’s settings, but the native language was also the common language.

nJi Chen looked at him kindly. “I ask, you answer. Understand?”

nThe native hurriedly nodded.

n“What’s your name?”

n“Panther”

nThe name sounded like a primitive tribe.

n“Why are you approaching my territory?”

n“The leader said that all the wild beasts in this forest have escaped. He thought that something had happened here, so he called me here to investigate.”

nThe native stood up straight and answered truthfully. His appearance was so obedient that it made one’s heart ache.

nHowever, it was also possible that the ferocious Naga warriors surrounding him had caused him to become like this.

n“Then can you take me to your tribe?”

n“… I can’t.”

nThe native’s face turned red as he gritted his teeth.

nJi Chen couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not looking for trouble with your tribe. I want to invite you to join my territory.”

n“I met the Kobolds. They should have a grudge against you, right?”

n“Those Kobolds have been the enemy of our tribe for generations.” The native gritted his teeth and said, “We can’t wait to kill them all and use them as fertilizer for the land!”

n“Well, that’s perfect.” Ji Chen snapped his fingers. “I’ll help you get rid of the Kobolds. In exchange, you have to submit to me.”

nThe native opened his mouth in surprise, but he didn’t say anything.

nKilling the Kobolds had always been the goal of the tribe, but did this man in gorgeous clothes really have the strength to kill that many Kobolds?

nHe looked around at the tall and strong Naga warriors with cruel eyes and believed him.

n“I’m just a small warrior in the tribe. I can’t make such an important decision.” The native shook his head. “We need to let the leader decide.”

nJi Chen didn’t make things difficult for him. Once again, Ji Chen instructed him to deliver these words to his tribal leader before letting him go.

nHe couldn’t treat this human native the same way he treated the Kobolds.

nReleasing him was also a friendly signal.

nWatching the native agilely dart into the jungle, Ji Chen pondered and quietly followed him.

nThis native was very agile and cautious, familiar with the jungle, and constantly moving through complex terrain, showing a good sense of counter-surveillance. If it were an ordinary person, they would probably have lost track of him long ago.

nHowever, what the native could not have imagined was that Ji Chen was using a map hack, and no matter how he took detours or moved forward, Ji Chen could see it all clearly.

nTen minutes later, Ji Chen came to a stop with a frown.

nThe yellow dot representing the natives was now two hundred meters ahead, but when he looked closer, he saw that there was no one there in the open lowland.

nNonetheless, the yellow dot was still moving, changing directions rapidly and even coming as close as a few dozen meters from him. T

nhis left him feeling confused.

nWas he invisible, in the heavens, or was his map damaged?

nDespite his efforts, he couldn’t locate the natives and could only watch as the yellow dot disappeared at the edge of the map.

nJi Chen studied the map, deep in thought as he tried to recall any unusual occurrences that had happened before.

nA moment later, Ji Chen suddenly raised his head and recalled what happened a minute or two ago.

nHe realized that the native had stopped at a certain spot for dozens of seconds, which seemed suspicious to him.

nHe quickly returned to the spot and saw only rocks and lush vegetation around. There was nothing worth paying attention to at a glance.

nAs he looked up, he saw the lush canopy and the blue sky. When he looked down, he saw rocks and vegetation.

nWait, rocks?

nAfter pondering, he asked the Naga warriors to move these medium-sized stones.

nOne by one, the rocks were moved, revealing the moist soil and insects living underneath.

nAs they lifted a slab of stone, a small hole was exposed. It was so small that only one person could enter, and the sound of flowing water could be heard emanating from within.

nA rattan ladder was stuck at the entrance of the cave, leading to a karst cave below.

nJi Chen finally understood that the natives had escaped through the cave.

nHe had previously discovered many underground caves in the forest, which were like blood vessels, connecting the entire forest.

nSince the natives had lived in the area for countless years, they were familiar with the direction of these karst caves and used them as escape routes.

nAs expected, the natives were clever and have many options or contingency plans to avoid danger or difficulty.

nJi Chen smiled and shook his head, deciding not to continue the pursuit. He replaced the stone and clapped his hands before heading back to his territory.

nContinuing to chase might have been futile, as he had already gained a considerable harvest.

nHe had shown his goodwill towards the human natives, and now he needed to wait for their response.

nIf it doesn’t work, some tough measures can be implemented.

nAt that time, he could say:

n“Native, you don’t want your people to be slaughtered, do you?”

nOf course, if he could subdue them peacefully, it would be the best result.

nAfter all, Ji Chen was not a bloodthirsty killer. At most, he would force them to mine and give them a beating if they didn’t obtain the designated ores.

nHe thought of applying the same strategy to the Kobolds, so forcing them to submit wasn’t necessary.

nHe believed that by confiscating the Kobolds’ weapons and monitoring them, they could be coerced to work in the mines.

nThey wouldn’t be provided with food unless they mined the ores, and their stubbornness wouldn’t save them from hunger.

nCould the Kobolds withstand hunger with their stubbornness?

nVaguely, an unimagined path unfolded before him.

nAh, this was not called evil capitalism!

nIt’s only considered that way when applied to humans, but it didn’t count for Kobolds.

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